Jamelle Bouie

Recent Articles

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell isn't too happy with President Obama 's recess appointment of Donald Berwick to oversee Medicare and Medicaid: "As if shoving a trillion dollar government takeover of health care down the throat of a disapproving American public wasn't enough, apparently the Obama Administration intends to arrogantly circumvent the American people yet again by recess appointing one of the most prominent advocates of rationed health care to implement their national plan," McConnell said in a statement. McConnell doesn't have much room to complain. Berwick was nominated almost three months ago to near universal praise ; experts across the political spectrum praised his strong commitment to improving health care. His confirmation should have been a no-brainer, and the fact that it wasn't has everything to do with Sen. McConnell's decision to routinely filibuster Obama's nominees. Since Obama entered office, Senate Republicans have kept hundreds of nominees in...

With the release of Stuart Buck 's book Acting White: The Ironic Legacy of Desegregation , there's been some interesting discussion over whether there is actually racialized antipathy toward educational achievement among young African Americans -- the basic premise of Buck's book. At The New Republic , John McWhorter agrees , and at Slate , Richard Thompson Ford seems to agree , too. Here at TAPPED, guest blogger Gene Denby disagreed , arguing that accusing high-achieving black kids of "acting white" has more to do with social markers than academic achievement. I'm with Gene; as a nerdy black kid who was accused of "acting white" on a fairly regular basis, I feel confident saying that the charge had everything to do with cultural capital, and little to do with academics. If you dressed like other black kids, had the same interests as other black kids, and lived in the same neighborhoods as the other black kids, then you were accepted into the tribe. If you didn't, you weren't. In my...

The Associated Press' Liz Sidoti reports that Sen. Russ Feingold has found himself in an unexpectedly tough race for re-election: The Wisconsin Democrat faces a wealthy political newcomer with early backing from tea party activists in a state that has many independent voters and is known for doing its own thing. ... The Republican seemingly came out of nowhere when he won the state GOP convention -- and the party endorsement -- just days after getting in the race. He all but cleared the primary field. Only businessman Dave Westlake , a long shot in the September primary, remains. Ron Johnson is the likely Republican nominee, and Public Policy Polling (PPP) has him at a mere two points behind Feingold, with 43 percent supporting Johnson and 45 percent supporting Feingold. Frankly, this is astounding: Feingold is a nationally known and recognized three-term senator, and Johnson is a little-known businessman. For him to be within the margin of error is a sign of real weakness on Feingold...

Jeff Zeleny reports on one aspect of the GOP's strategy for November's elections: If Republicans are to win control of the House, party leaders are relying on candidates like [Ohio's Steve Chabot ] to whittle away the 39-seat Democratic majority. Their strategy is rooted in the belief that the Republican base is significantly more energized than it was two years ago, particularly because of the influence of Tea Party activists and at least a share of independent voters who have soured on the leadership of Democrats. Mr. Chabot is seeking to make the race a national referendum on every major element of the Democratic agenda, from health care to the economic stimulus plan to the growth of federal spending . (emphasis mine) Republican leaders and candidates like Mr. Chabot should be careful about nationalizing local contests. The dynamics of the midterm elections are different, of course, but it is worth noting that Democrats have won seven of the last eight special elections, and two of...

The week is over and it's time for me to head back to my corner of the interwebs, so some thanks are in order. First, thanks to everyone for reading my posts! This has been a fantastic week, and I'm really glad that I've had the chance to share my opinions with you. I really appreciate The Prospect for offering me the opportunity. And second, I want to send a special thanks to Phoebe and Alexandra for their skillful editing, helpful suggestions, and general awesomeness! In any case, if you have any interest in ever reading me again, you can find me at various places around the internets: my place, the United States of Jamerica , PostBourgie , and the League of Ordinary Gentlemen . Cheers! -- Jamelle Bouie